“Citizen Science: Can Volunteers Do Real Research?” by Jeffery P. Cohn addresses the growing importance of the role citizen scientists play in scientific studies. The term “citizen science” is itself a very interesting phrase. According to the reading it “refers to volunteers who participate as field assistants in scientific studies” (193) but I think that this phrase means so much more than that. It represents the boundary between the two opposite views about the accessibility of science and shows the broadening perception of what it means to do science. These volunteers who work together are citizens of the scientific community and are citizens of the outside natural world. They are the bridge in the relationship between everyday people and professionals.

This article also underscores the shift in the roles of volunteers in science. They are playing an increasingly significant role in collecting data and participating in studies that are used in academia. All age groups are involved in these projects from “grade-schoolers to grandmas” (193) and these different people bring varying contributions to the research. The increasing number of citizen science projects over the years also creates a cascade effect, where more projects are being initiated using previous citizen science projects as models. And as thousands of volunteers are getting involved in citizen science projects and telling their acquaintances about it, this phenomenon and its value to science is expanding.

The skeptics of amateur scientists participating in research are also addressed in this article. Some people are hesitant to trust the data collected by non-professionals. But the author and many experts argue that with proper training, it is definitely possible to gain valuable data from citizen scientists. These volunteers learn skills just like scientists do and experts in the field check the results that are collect for reliability too. It is also important to remember that people who volunteer genuinely care to obtain accurate results because they are passionate about the field of study. And those who have not yet obtained the skillset necessary for some parts of research are given easier tasks. For example, some more experienced birders count all the birds they find, while less experienced volunteers will count five easily identifiable species. Therefore, people with different levels of skill are sometimes involved in different aspects of gathering data.

The part of the article that shocked me the most was the fact that little children were able to very accurately identify crabs. It is adorable that even third-graders correctly identified the crabs 80 percent of the time. This helps prove just how accessible science is and how important it is to not be afraid to become involved at any age.